Noom is not just a single app. There are two major versions of Noom, the first is a simple weight tracking and the second is a doctor monitored service called Noom Med. The upside of Noom Med is that it easy to get paid for via an FSA, while the standard Noom would still need a doctor’s recommendation to get covered.
Part of the offering for Noom is that their focus on the social and mental cues that impact nutiritional decisions winds up resulting in better long term habits. They back this up with some scientific findings, and there are also a number of publications that look at the results of people who used zoom (Study 1, Study 2, Study 3).
Even within the sing-up pages of Noom they focus on data. Sadly, one of those pieces suggests that often the first time subscribing to Noom may not be the most effective. If you have signed up previously and then wind up going to re-subscribe again they point out that people have more success in their second subscription.
Noom vs MyFitnessPal
Many people want to compare Noom and MyFitnessPal, and while they have some similarities it is important to understand that they go about things in a very different way.
MyFitnessPal is significantly cheaper than Noom. Both are offered on a monthly subscription fee, but MyFitnessPal is only $19.99 a month which makes billing annually at $79.99 quite a deal. This makes a full year of MyFitnessPal premium less expensive than a single month of Noom.
Both apps offer free versions however. Noom provides a one week trial (sometimes two) while MyFitnessPal has a freemium model that puts some of the most useful features behind their paid subscription.
So which is better, MyFitnessPal vs Noom? Overall we find that MyFitnessPal is better as a pure calorie tracker, while Noom is better at educating and building new habits. This means that if you are already comfortable with having a balanced diet and simply wish to monitor calories and macros, you should go with MyFitnessPal. If on the other hand you have struggled with weight management and relationships with food and wish to manage the mental aspects of weight control then Noom is likely a better fit.
- Library of Foods (for calorie accuracy): MyFitnessPal takes the edge here for having a broader community contributing to their food library. With premium you can scan the UPC of nearly any packaged food and get the exact nutrition facts and serving sizes easily imported.
- Meal Plans: Both apps offer a good selection of meal recipes and meal plans. This one really comes down to personal opinion on which ones you like the most. MyFitnessPal does make it easier to build your own recipes and import them regularly.
- Information on Weight Loss: Noom takes the edge on providing information around weight loss and the mental impact of habits. MyFitnessPal has all the tools to monitor along the way, and while it has some similar tips, the focus is not on delivering them to you so it is harder to find and integrate into your life
- Integration with Apple Health and Others: Both Noom and MyFitnessPal work well with Apple Health and Google Health. It is easy enough to share data access and get even more visuals and charts on how your nutrition and weight are tracking.
- Free Version: MyFitnessPal wins on the free version, since it has functionality and no limit to how much you can use it. Noom shifts after the free trial to paid, and although some items are available for free it is barely different than a default Apple or Android health tracker that shows steps and charts whatever you input.
Does Noom Work?
In short, yes Noom CAN work. As with anything else though it still requires a level of commitment that you need to put in. The upside is that the preferred program is time bound so if you want to set a goal to stick with it throughout then there is a standard ending point. The linked studies are above.
The primary program is 16 weeks. Noom is designed to change your relationship with food, and build new understanding as well as habits. While you can sign up for a one year subscription, many of the have its tries to build should be sticking by that 16 week mark.
Noom Pricing
Noom is one of the more expensive app based programs. The standard monthly fee is $70, which can be resisted if you buy a multi month subscription all at once. They market that most users will pre-buy the fourth month program which comes out to $169.
Sadly, as a product manager our assessment is that this is mostly a marketing driven decision to drive people to buy a price point that they will convert on, rather than linked to studies that show preferred outcomes. Even within all of their studies there seems to be a correlation to reviewing folks who took part in the preferred 16 week program, rather than showing the success based on how many weeks someone was subscribed.